Why is mercury used in a barometer rather than water?

Following are the reasons why mercury and not water is used in a barometer: 1. read more

If water would be used in barometer, barometer tube should have the huge height of 10.3m! Mercury is 13.6 times more dense than water and a column weight of only 760mmHg equals the forces generated by atmospheric pressure, so the tube can be much shorter. read more

Mercury is commonly used in barometers because its high density means the height of the column can be a reasonable size to measure atmospheric pressure. A barometer using water, for instance, would need to be 13.6 times taller than a mercury barometer to obtain the same pressure difference. This is because mercury is 13.6 times more dense than water. read more